This invention relates to vehicle wheels adapted to receive pneumatic tires and, more particularly, to such a wheel having an inner safety tread.
It is known to provide a vehicle wheel with an annular safety tread having a larger diameter than the rim of the wheel for protection in case the tire carried by the wheel becomes deflated. Such a safety tread is secured to the rim of the wheel between its edges in radially outward spaced relationship therefrom to prevent the edges of the rim from cutting the tire casing when the tire suffers a loss of air.
It is difficult to mount a tire on a wheel having a safety tread because of the large diameter required of the tread. To facilitate tire mounting, such a wheel is generally constructed of at least three parts; namely, an inside wheel half, an outside wheel half, and a safety foot assembly clamped between the wheel halves for ease of insertion of the safety foot into the tire casing. The safety tread is sometimes divided circumferentially into three parts, which can be separately placed inside the tire casing. The numerous parts of a wheel having a safety tread complicate the tire mounting procedure.